A word about this recipe: Ever since I can remember I have loved, loved, loved when my Mom made Torta. My Ukrainian-German mother, who is a phenomenal cook, has managed over the years to become an expert in Maltese cooking, which is my Dad's side of the family.
Malta, which is located in located in the Mediterranean Sea, is about 60 miles South of Sicily and about 175 miles from the coast of Africa (Tunisia) - my Grandparents emigrated in the late 1930s and settled in Stamford, CT.
Growing up visiting my Granparents every Sunday was a real treat for me: I loved listening to them conversing in Maltese (although unfortunately I did not understand what they were saying) and always anxiously awaiting to see what amazing Maltese dish Nanna would make. My favorites are the torta (see below) and pastizzi (a meat or cheese "pastry").
Torta is beyond easy to make and is a great dish to make especially in the winter.
I must admit that I have a hard time conceptualizing something that's basically a meat pie, because when I think of "pie", I think of dessert - but torta is so good I can't resist! This is truly a comfort food in my book. Actually, when I moved away from home in Connecticut, whenever I was somewhat homesick, I made torta and and it made me feel at home again - what's not to love about that!
I hope to try my hand at making pastizzi shortly - again, my Mom has managed to also make incredible pastizzi - you'd think she was a native Maltese - I've been putting it off for awhile, but I think I should face my "fear" and tackle this phyllo wonder! I'll post shortly.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 Deep dish 9" pie shells
1 Lb ground beef (I use 95% lean)
3 Onions, chopped (or 1 ½ c) - you can use a fresh onions, but I highly recommend using frozen chopped onions - it saves you time and your eyes will thank you.
1 C peas - again, use frozen
¼ C fresh shredded parmesean cheese - you can play with this amount
2 Eggs
1 T olive oil
Salt to taste
Canned Milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. On the stovetop on high, saute onions in olive oil.
3. Add meat. Saute until no longer brown. Drain fat.
4. On medium heat, add peas and parmesean cheese, stir until dispersed throughout.
6. Stir in eggs.
7. Salt to taste. (Jane’s Crazy Mixed Up Salt is fabulous).
8. Add to one pie shell. Cover with 2nd pie shell. Seal and use fork to poke with holes for steam. Brush with some canned milk.
9. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
Voila!
Source: Vassallo Family Recipe
Maltese Torta
Parmesan Garlic Chicken
Note: Freezer labels available. Feel free to email me if you'd like the PDF file.
A word about this recipe: What can I say? This was a phenomenally easy freezer meal to prepare and you can't miss with garlic. This was just "yum." My only "complaint" is that as we all know, if the chicken had its skin on it's always more tasty, but my current motto is...if you don't want your thighs to rub together...you don't need the chicken skin! At least that's what I keep telling myself...as I shove another celery stalk in my mouth to avoid visiting the freezer which currently houses ice cream....
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
6 servings:
6 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil
18 servings:
18 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
6 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cup olive oil
36 servings:
36 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
6 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
12 cloves garlic, minced
3 cup olive oil
54 servings:
54 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
9 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
9 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
18 cloves garlic, minced
4½ cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Thaw completely.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unwrap desired number of chicken breasts and placed in a greased baking dish (I use olive oil spray).
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until chicken is tender and no longer pink. (Check after 35 minutes so it doesn't dry out)
For Freezer Meals: Mix together cheese, garlic, and Italian dressing mix. Dip chicken breasts in olive oil, then coat with cheese mixture. Wrap each coated chicken breast individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. Freeze, using freezer bag method. I put two pieces of chicken per bag - which would be 1 meal for Larry and I.
Nutritional Information (per serving): Calories: 299; Total Fat: 24g; Cholesterol: 51mg; Sodium: 560mg; Total Carbs: 2g; Protein: 18g.
Source: Don't Panic - More Dinner's in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead, Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell & Bonnie Garcia
Easy Peasy Baked Fish in Spaghetti Sauce
A word about this recipe: The original recipe (Baked Fish in Spaghetti Sauce) came from the source noted below. In the book there is a recipe for spaghetti sauce that you can make from scratch to accompany this recipe and the recommendation to use Tilapia fillets. While I like to occasionally make my own spaghetti sauce, honestly, if you can find a great sale on sauce, why not save yourself some time and money and pop open a bottle of store bought sauce? For some reason sauce always seems to be on sale lately so I stock up so I have it on hand. My favorite (in terms of cost and taste) is Ragu Traditional Spaghetti Sauce Flavored with Meat. But honestly, there are a ton of choices out there, so it really depends on your individual tastes and budget.
To make it more of my own, I typically add a tablespoon of Italian seasonings, a smidge of sugar and about 2 tablespoons of Manischewitz Blackberry Wine, but you can use any red wine and play with the amounts. I got started on the Manischewitz Blackberry Wine (www.manischewitzwine.com) because my mom always used it her cooking and to me the Blackberry wine adds an added “kick” over red wine.
In terms of what type of fish you use for this recipe, really you can use whatever you like. Larry and I like Tilapia because it always seem to taste light and fresh, not “fishy.” I love seafood, but anytime fish smells or tastes too fishy I recommend not eating – it’s just a sign that it’s not too fresh – believe me, I’ve been burned a few times, so I’ve learned my lesson!
Personally I recommend Tilapia loins over the fillets. The loins just tend to be lighter in flavor and not fishy.
Larry and I tend to have our Tilapia with just olive oil and sprinkled with Old Bay Seasoning, but this recipe offers an alternative with sauce – just to mix things up so you don’t get bored with having the same old thing all the time. This was excellent - very moist and light in taste.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1½ lbs Frozen Tilapia (I recommend using loins - not "fishy" tasting)
2 C Spaghetti Sauce (make your own or buy)
2 T Italian Seasoning, smidge of sugar and 2 T Manischewitz (or to taste) – Jill’s recommendation
Directions:
1. Take desired number of fillets out of the freezer an thaw in refrigerator.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350
3. After fish is thawed, pour ¾ C spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and then use the remaining amount of sauce to cover the fish..
Bake at Dredge chicken through the flour mix.
4. Bake fish for approximately 20 minutes or until fish is flaky.
5. Serve with a side salad and brown rice.
For Freezer Meals: Keep frozen Tilapia loins and spaghetti sauce on hand for this quick, easy and healthy meal.
4 servings:
Source: [Adapted from] Once-a-Month Cooking, Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg
Top Sirloin with Red Wine Marinade
Note: Freezer labels available. Feel free to email me if you'd like the PDF file.
A word about this recipe: Ideally you want to grill the sirloin. But I saw the recipe and thought "what the hey...why not try this now...in mid-winter...on the broiler." The good thing was the broiler worked fine and we didn't burn the house down...AND...the sirloin was very tasty! I think the Worcestershire gave such a nice zing to this - not too much...not too little...just right. Looking forward to trying this on the grill once we finally catch a break and the snow finally subsides.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
6 servings:
2 lbs. top sirloin steak (can be cubed for kabobs)
¾ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T dry mustard
1½ t black pepper
¼ cup red wine (I use Manischewitz Blackberry Wine)
¼ t dried parsley
3 T lemon juice
1 cloves garlic, minced
18 servings:
6 lbs. top sirloin steak (can be cubed for kabobs)
2¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
¼ cup + 2 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T dry mustard
4½ t black pepper
¾ cup red wine (I use Manischewitz Blackberry Wine)
¾ t dried parsley
½ cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
36 servings:
12 lbs. top sirloin steak (can be cubed for kabobs)
4½ cup vegetable oil
2 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
¾ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup + 2 T dry mustard
3 T black pepper
1½ cup red wine (I use Manischewitz Blackberry Wine)
1½ t dried parsley
1 cup lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, minced
54 servings:
18 lbs. top sirloin steak (can be cubed for kabobs)
6¾ cup vegetable oil
3 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 cup + 2 T Worcestershire sauce
½ cup + 1 T dry mustard
¼ cup + 1½ t black pepper
2¼ cup red wine (I use Manischewitz Blackberry Wine)
2¼ t dried parsley
1½ cup lemon juice
9 cloves garlic, minced
Directions:
1. Thaw completely. Discard marinade.
2. Grill over medium heat until cooked according to preference. You can also broil.
3. If steak is cubed, grill on skewers with your favorite vegetables.
For Freezer Meals: Place sirloin, whole or cubed, in freezer bag. Mix remaining ingredients together to to form marinade and and pour over steak. Freeze, using freezer bag method. I put two pieces of steak per bag - which would be 1 meal for Larry and I.
Nutritional Information (per serving): Calories: 468; Total Fat: 27.4g; Cholesterol: 138mg; Sodium: 1221mg (this would not be as high if you use low sodium soy sauce); Total Carbs: 2g.
Source: Don't Panic - More Dinner's in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead, Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell & Bonnie Garcia
Take A Walk in Her Shoes - A Must Attend!
I wanted to share with everyone a phenomenal opportunity to help woman in need (in McHenry County, Illinois) reach their goals through education.
For awhile now I have been volunteering for the Friends of McHenry County College Foundation. Specifically, I have been involved in helping plan the Take a Walk in Her Shoes Ball. The details are:
Take A Walk in Her Shoes Ball
March 19, 2010
7:30 p.m. to Midnight
Holiday Inn
Crystal Lake, IL
Reservations: $50 per person or $500 for table of 10
The concept of the Take a Walk in Her Shoes Ball highlights the personal journeys women take - shoes are symbolic of the steps we all take in our lives. Half of the proceeds raised at the Ball will be used to establish a scholarship called “Women in Transition.” Our scholarship recipients will receive funding at McHenry County College for:
• Educational costs
• Books
• Childcare
• Transportation, should any be required
Women who apply and receive the scholarship can use it for the College’s occupational career programs, certificate programs, associate’s degree programs or transfer programs. The other half of the proceeds will benefit the Friends of MCC Foundation efforts including the MCC Promise program.
To find out more information about this program or to attend, visit: www.supportmcc.org/shoes
Even if you are not located in the area, this would be a great program to donate to. For more information, contact Kathrine Pfister, Development Coordinator, Friends of MCC Foundation, at (815) 479-7529.
